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christmas weekend away in Bristol and Exeter

Last Saturday my best friend and I made our way up the line for a day trip to Bristol followed by an overnight stay in Exeter and another day of shopping there. We had everything planned out starting at Cabot Circus with an Egg Nog latte from Starbucks we spent most of the day there picking up Christmas gifts from friends and family before heading over to Ikea to stock up on candles (lots of candles!) and most importantly wedding bits for my best friend's wedding (♥ that film). We then had a hunt for Homesense so that I could spend the voucher I won on Stephs blog recently before driving back down to Exeter for the night to stay in the Mercure Southgate Hotel.

On arrival the venue was in full swing with what appeared to be a cabaret
night Christmas party! The entrance, bar and restaurant was equipped with decorations, feathers flying about
and what looked like an awesome photo booth so the
hotel was buzzing and it looked like great fun! The second we made our way upstairs it was
silent - just what we needed after a heavy day of shopping and driving
about.

I have to mention dinner because it was fab; we got directions to the highstreet from the hotel which was literally 3 minutes walk up the road and decided to stop in a place called Coal. We don't have a Coal in Plymouth but I've decided that we need one! The vibes of this place were perfect, it was clubby and loud with good music, people dancing, great cocktails and even better food. We sat upstairs with a few Christmas parties and dates going on around us and the party downstairs in full swing, the layout was quite open plan with the noise from downstairs making a great atmosphere upstairs - It was an adult restaurant and we loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed my Coal burger, Kir her chimichanga and I want to go back.

The room we stayed in is classed as a Privilege Room which is the highest quality room at the Southgate Hotel. It was super comfy, pretty luxurious and we were so pleased with everything including the range of products available to us in the bathroom as well as the teas and coffees in the room. The customer service, the room, the details and how accommodating the staff were was all fantastic - specifically when I asked if it were possible to have a twin rather than the double that was booked. They sent somebody up straight away to split and remake the beds for us.

As part of our stay we had access to the leisure facilities which included a pool, sauna and jacuzzi but we were so tired in the morning that we didn't get up for a morning swim the end.

I took loads of photos this weekend including a lot of our room so here's some of those. :)

little things we loved
Having a huge shower
Not having to stand in a bath
A mirror that doesn't steam up
Complementary slippers and robes
The shower being set at a perfect temperature
Complimentary soft drinks
The Devon Fudge arrival gift
In room complementary Nespresso machine
Free and good wifi
Being seated for breakfast
Fantastic breakfast and choices
Leaving the car to go shopping after checking out

Breakfast was fab, busy and huge. I had pastry's, eggs benedict and a delicious latte and Kir had a pot of tea, some pastry's, a fry up and granola with yoghurt - Twas amazing!

I took SO many photos this weekend so here's a few more of our fun in Bristol, the Exeter Christmas market, Exeter shopping, Homesense, IKEA and of course dinner at Coal in Exeter. :) Enjoy.

♥ abby

dinner at Coal

Exeter Christmas market in the morning

Exeter Christmas shopping

Homesense shopping

Bristol Christmas shopping

probably my favourite window display ever.

Last but by no means least.. IKEA :)

Hope you liked this post and are all enjoying the christmas festivities! :)